Death Before Betrayal
by KunaiWriter
Summary: Sakura has to finish up an S ranked mission that her friend could not continue. Will this open her eyes to something she thought could never happen?
1. Chapter 1

The kunoichi's reflection quivered dramatically like a distorted circus mirror as the rain hit the pond's surface, one drop at a time. She looked up and blinked, a few spots of water landing on her pale cheeks. Finally. The only time she felt true peace was when the rain came. It had been expected all day, but had chosen now to bring its arrival upon the village, surely bringing a wave of grumbles and unhappy sighs from the locals who seemed to dislike the precipitation more than most. Which of course was good news to her, for now no one was bound to stumble across her little grove, as many often did, and disturb her.

As the rain began to fall harder, erupting a low rumble from the impact on the leaves and dirt that only some people could appreciate, she scooted under the nearest large tree in fear that her beloved book might get ruined.  
After taking a final glimpse around at the dripping trees and falling water, she heaved a sigh and flipped open her much abused copy of **Death Before Betrayal** to her marked page. It was a story of lost romance in which the main character, Sel, is kidnapped by the emperor of her enemy country and is held prisoner so that she will have no choice but to bear that lord's child. Though as much as she wishes, she cannot return to her country and to her loved one, Aman, who believes her to be dead, in fear that it will be looked upon as treachery, and start a new war between the countries, so she takes her own life, killing her unborn with her. Twisted as it may be, it was by far her favorite book.

_'Lord, grant me the wishes of my tears, for I fear that my dear Aman has found someone anew. A thought that I cannot bear to fathom.' I clawed at the window sill as I looked out into the dark sky, gritting my teeth together. 'And that scum that has taken my life from my hands: take from him his most precious value so that he can feel even a sliver of the sorrow that has engulfed me since my arrival upon this dreaded castle.' Hot tears fell down my cheeks, a notion so familiar now that I didn't even seem to notice. 'I will find-_

"Sakura," she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. Nothing irritated her more than an interruption during a good book. After inwardly calming herself, the pink haired girl looked up to see where the voice had come from. It sounded relieved, like they had searched and finally found. Though after further examination, her eyebrows shot up in surprise as the figure emerged from the thick rain and into the cover of the tree. "I'm glad I found you. Tsunade's been asking for you for hours now." the kunoichi closed her book and returned her gaze to the shinobi.

"Kiba," Sakura regarded him with a small smile, the grimace still tugging at the corners of her lips, threatening to pull down at any minute. "I came down here because I thought all of the missions had been assigned. Is everything all right?" she stood up, her pink hair skimming one of the lower branches. There was a smile in place of his usual smirk, which made her suspicious, but let him continue on anyway.

"Yeah, she just needs another helping hand at the hospital, we just got another group of wounded Anbu Black Ops in over there." he jutted his thumb out behind him as if the hospital were right there. Though she wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, instead, the pink haired jounin took the opportunity to inspect him, for she had never been this close to Kiba before. His spiky brown locks clung to his face, and forced little water droplets to roll down his cheeks and onto the cool ground below. But his purple marks were ever-present and did not fade even with the heavy wetness. And Sakura didn't even notice Akamaru until he walked over beside the boy and shook himself off, spraying both her and his owner. "Hey, Earth to Sakura!" he absent-mindedly waved a hand in front of her face and sighed when she was so suddenly jolted out of her momentary reverie.

"Sorry, why did Tsunade want my help?" the kunoichi blushed slightly at her lack of concentration and locked her gaze with his. Kiba closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, just nodding in agreement when his little dog barked several times.  
"We have more patients at the hospital and she needs some help tending to them." the boy's smile had disappeared. Now he only looked irate. Sakura's blush deepened from the knowledge that she had annoyed him, and averted her emerald gaze to the damp forest grass beneath her feet, her pink locks forming a curtain around her embarrassed face. Kiba straightened uneasily at her notion, and stood cautiously. He was used to this kind of reaction out of Hinata, but never from Sakura.

"My apologies Kiba-kun," she raised her head slightly to look at him, a timid smile on her full lips, her cheeks still rosy. "I'm not myself today." he twitched slightly and his hard features melted into a smirk. The shinobi removed a hand from his pocket and wiped a lock of his wet hair to the side of his handsome face.

"Don't worry about it Sakura." he said before jerking his head to the side, a signal for her to get going. The kunoichi nodded quickly and stuffed her book into the bag that was positioned against the large weeping willow that was currently shielding them from the hammering rain. She slung it over her shoulder, and braced herself for the elements. Kiba turned on his heel and darted out from beneath the tree, Sakura soon on his tail, eyes squinted against the heavy downpour. Puddles disintegrated under the quick movement, the water flying around their feet, staining their already soaked pants with a fair helping of mud.

The pink haired kunoichi was beginning to become numb from the icy rain. She had failed to bring a jacket or even a sweater along with her, and now the water droplets felt like needles against her bare arms. When they slowed to a walking pace as Konoha gates came into view, she examined her fingers, which were now an unusual shade of purple, and brought her hand up to her trembling lips. Ice cold. Water ran down her face like streams of tears, and she followed briskly behind Kiba into the village.

No one was in sight. Even the Anbu gate guard had run for shelter from the storm. Sakura looked up into the now blackened sky, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Sakura! Let's go!" she hadn't realized that she had stopped, and Kiba was a few yards ahead of her, beckoning her to continue the short journey to Hokage tower. After a last fleeting glance at the menacing sky, she rocked forward and sprinted to the brown haired shinobi in front of her, a feeling of unease suddenly tugging wildly at her stomach. This wasn't an ordinary storm. Something was wrong.

Hokage tower didn't seem to get any closer as they raced down the dirt streets of the village, the mud squishing grotesquely under their light footsteps. After what seemed to be longer than necessary, the two shinobi were jogging up the stairs to the upper level of the building. Sakura sighed in relief as the warmth engulfed them, the door closing quickly behind her. Shizune was waiting worriedly by the entrance, three towels at the ready; one for Sakura, and two for Kiba and Akamaru.

"T-Thanks Shizune." the kunoichi realized then that her teeth were chattering. She would have to bring warmer clothes next time she left. The brown haired woman looked uneasily over at Kiba who was currently drying off his dog, and then back to the shivering jounin in front of her. She took the two strides to the sopping pink haired medic and helped dry her off, whispering in her ear as she went.

"I need to speak with you...alone." The subtlety was useless, for Kiba would be able to hear her anyway. Even if he couldn't, in the slight off chance that would happen, his trusty dog would be sure to tell him what the two women were whispering about later. Sakura looked over at the shinobi and smiled apologetically as Shizune towed her off to a secluded part of the building. She seemed nervous, almost jumpy when time came to explain to Tsunade's apprentice about what was going on.

"Is everything okay?" the medic never made eye contact with the pink haired girl, but continued to stare hopelessly into the white linoleum. The worry that Sakura had felt earlier had doubled since Shizune had told her they needed to speak. This spelled awful news. For she had only done this to Sakura once before; when she was ordered to tell her that their search for Sasuke was coming to an end, and that he would be ranked from then on out as an S ranked criminal in all of the nations.

"When the group of Anbu returned from tracking down the Akatsuki, well......One of them was very badly injured. We don't know if he can make it." Shizune bit her lip, and a wave of nausea rolled through Sakura's body. She had to swallow down the oncoming vile before she could speak again.

"Who?" she asked though she already knew the answer. Just to hear any other name would calm her erratically beating heart. But not his. Finally the brown haired woman looked at her. Sadness filled her eyes.

"Kakashi." tears welled in Sakura's eyes and she turned quickly to run down to the special ward for wounded shinobi, throwing her towel behind her as she flew on. She reached the door in record time and wrenched it open, nearly breaking it off of its hinges. Panting, the pink haired medic looked around the room until she spotted the bed that her sensei was occupying. The other ninja were asleep, some with pained expressions on their faces from the invisible pain that they were enduring. Then she saw him, eyes tight in anguish, arms bandaged and stained red. Sakura took long, slow steps to reach his bed, and kneeled beside him.

Through the silence of the room, she could hear his raspy breaths coming in short takes. The affect of a punctured lung and cracked ribs no doubt. The Akatsuki had gotten stronger. Much, much more powerful than her last encounter with them she was sure. Not many could do damage like this to someone such as Kakashi. She stroked the back of his exposed hand, and was grateful when he didn't cringe from the touch. But as she gently rested her hand on his, the copy ninja stirred and cracked open his eyes. He didn't look at her right away, as if he had to remember how to move. Hesitantly, he rolled his head to his right to stare at her, and a glimmer of wistfulness crept across his expression when he saw who was beside him.

"Hi," Sakura's voice cracked, but a small, relieved smile appeared on her lips when she knew that at least he was awake now. The silver haired Anbu slowly moved his hand so that their fingers were entwined, and kept his eyes locked with her shimmering emerald ones. She inched forward ever so slightly, needing to be closer to him in fear that if she were to make one wrong move or look away, he would disappear.

"Sakura?" but this was not Kakashi's voice that had said her name. It was Naruto. She did not turn to look at him, but instead kept her gaze steady with her sensei's. She heard his footsteps come towards them, and he placed a hand on her back, then her hair, but pulled it back quickly. "Why are you all wet? Did you just get here?" reluctantly, she turned her head to face him.

"Hi, Naruto," the medic meant for her voice to be cheerful, but it came out sullen and dry. "Yeah, Kiba and I ran here from the grove. I don't like the looks of that storm out there." his lips pulled down into a frown.

"Why were you with," his voice sounded almost like a snarl. "Kiba?" Sakura looked at him in astonishment. Since when did he act like this? Upon closer inspection, she noticed that his hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles becoming white.

"Calm down Naruto," her pink locks still clung wetly to her face, hiding all evidence of her tears with drops from the rain outside. "He came to find me to tell me that Tsunade needed my help here at the hospital." he nodded once, sighed, and unclenched his fists before returning his cerulean eyes to the wounded man in front of them. Kakashi groaned and Sakura whipped her head to him, looking frantically for the source of his pain. "Kakashi?" she asked quietly, leaning in closer to her sensei.

"Sakura," he managed to say. "It...hurts." the Anbu whispered hoarsely, making her eyes blur with more oncoming tears. She wiped them away with the back of her hand before they could fall, and took a deep breath before looking back to Naruto who was staring at Kakashi with a hurt expression on his face.

"What hurts, sensei?" she slowly focused her blurring green eyes on the sliver haired man. His face crumpled in pain before he spoke. When she lifted her hand to wipe away the tears once more, Naruto grabbed it and held it gently within his own and smiled down at her, though it didn't reach his agonized eyes. The only thing that was keeping Sakura in one piece was the heart-monitor that was beeping at a normal pace beside the Anbu.

"Everything," he croaked, pain evident in his voice. The pink haired jounin let go of both of the boys' hands and stood up so that she could lean over Kakashi and try to work her medical magic without breaking down. Her green chakra flickered around her trembling hands, and she ran them slowly over his body, stopping to take extra time around his ribs and arms. Several tears dropped onto his bed sheet while she worked, so Naruto put a hand on the small of her back, and she stopped, put her hands down on the side of Kakashi's bed, and let the sobs take over her body. When she looked back up at him, his eyes were closed and the monitor was slowing at an alarming rate. She gasped.

"Stay with me Kakashi," the kunoichi whispered while putting a chakra enhanced hand over his heart. "Please," she choked out through the newest sobs that overtook her body. Slowly, she inhaled a deep breath and tried again, but let out a strangled cry when his heart stopped completely. "No, no! Kakashi! Stay with me!" hot tears flooded down her cheeks, and she tried again and again, with no avail, to bring him back to her. Naruto put a hand over hers.

"Stop," she looked up at him. Wet streaks stained his cheeks, and more tears were forming in his blue eyes. "He's gone." her expression was torn in agony, and she crumpled down onto the floor, face in her hands, legs sprawled out underneath her shaking figure. Broken cries ripped from her chest, filling the silent room with an atmosphere of anguish. Naruto kneeled beside her and embraced her, fighting his own urge to cry. He looked behind him when a pair of soft footsteps were heard coming into the room. When he met Shizune's puzzled gaze, her eyebrows shot up and she slapped a hand to her mouth, silent tears falling from her tormented eyes. Tsunade shook her head and had to turn her back to them, afraid for them to see her vulnerable side. Sakura's loud cries made him turn his attention back to her and embrace her tightly. She flung her arms around his neck and buried her head into his chest.

"Why couldn't I save him?" she wept. Just then, Tsunade approached her.

"He was suffering from internal bleeding from the stomach and aorta. Four of his ribs were broken, and he had a punctured lung. There was no hope, I'm sorry, Sakura." the blond motioned for Naruto to take Sakura out of the room, so he lifted her up, and carried her to Tsunade's office, her whimpers echoing in the vast hallways.

"Shh, shh," Naruto hushed her softly and set her down on one of the chairs in the room. He used a calloused thumb and wiped the remaining tears from her pretty face, pressed his forehead gently against hers, and took her face in his hands. "Sakura," she moved her agonized emerald eyes to meet his brilliant azure ones. "It's over now. So please...don't cry." he said pleadingly, as if her tears were more torture to him than the death of their teacher. She sniffed and nodded before looking down at her hands.  
He was really gone. Forever.


	2. Chapter 2

The shock finally kicked in. Her teacher, best friend, and loyal companion was dead. She could almost feel his hair in her fingers, hear his velvet laugh ringing in her ears; see his eye crinkle when he smiled at her. It was too much to bear. Her long fingers gripped at her baggy jounin pants, forcing her knuckles to turn white. Shudders ran down her spine, and it felt like someone had a hand around her throat, cutting off her air supply. _She_ had her hand around her throat. Suddenly, warm fingers were prying hers from her neck, and holding them firmly.

"Sakura?" it sounded as though Naruto was panicking, though his voice only a distant humming in her ears. And it only got louder. So she squeezed her watering eyes shut and pressed her hands roughly over her ears, trying desperately to block out the sound.

"No! NO! Stop it!" the kunoichi screeched, shaking her head frantically, her damp hair whipping the wall behind her. Then a sharp impact on her cheek made her eyes flutter open and stop her thrashing. Sakura looked up with pained eyes and slowly lowered her hands. Naruto had never slapped her before. Too many emotions ran through her head, and she just sat there, hopelessness taking over.

"I'm sorry," the blond shinobi spoke quietly, his voice thick with guilt. "But..." he hesitated. "None of us asked for this. There's no point in crying, it won't change anything." the bitter tone that he used was foreign, as was the unfamiliar mask of anger and hatred that he wore, fists clenched at his side. An eternity passed, and finally, Sakura reached out and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his stomach and holding his warm body close to her. Naruto stiffened, but then relaxed and gently wove his fingers through her still moist locks.

A part from her book ran through her mind in that instant, bringing her to a different reality.

_Aman held me close, his silent sobs still shaking my body as he mourned for his sister, who was now lost to the heavens forever. My comfort was there, but still limited; for I did not know the extent of his sorrow, I had never lost a dear one before. And though she was not close to me, it pained me as well, seeing Aman tortured in such a way._

"You're right, Naruto," Sakura's voice was muffled by his midnight tinted shirt, but she was sure that he could understand her anyway. "I just....I want to go home...Please." she begged. Naruto bent down to kiss the top of her head, and then stood up straight as she unlocked her grasp from around him. With difficulty, the pink haired kunoichi stood, knees trembling underneath her weight. The blond boy that was beside her snaked an arm around her slim waist to help support her as she attempted to move. Worry creased his forehead as he walked her down the empty and eerily silent halls; maybe this was affecting her more than he thought. First Sasuke, her parents, and now this? Sakura had been put through too much in the past few years, this he was sure of. But...Was this going to be the final straw?

Quickly, he looked back to see Tsunade rounding the corner, coming towards them, a stoic expression on her face, but worry in her brown eyes.

"Naruto, Sakura," she addressed them with a hint of sorrow in her wispy voice. "The funeral will be held tomorrow at nine A.M. I would like you both to attend," Naruto nodded stiffly and continued helping the broken kunoichi through Hokage tower, Tsunade watching them helplessly. She nearly limped all the way to the door, and kept her eyes steady on the now muddy linoleum that covered most of the building. And she hadn't said a word since her request to go home. Merely a walking, no, skulking corpse. Lifeless.

A movement caught Sakura's eye, and she glanced to her left. Kiba stood, hands shoved into his pockets, an expression of pity covering his features as she passed by without a second glance at him.

They reached the door and the drumming of the rain on the stairs was not hard to miss. A bitter gust of wet wind pushed past them as he heaved through the entryway and out into the hammering rain. Naruto removed his jacket and slung it over the kunoichi's shoulders, lifting her onto his back momentarily afterward.

"Hold on tight!" his booming voice was nearly drowned out by the storm, but Sakura obeyed and gripped at the front fabric of his already soaked shirt tightly, awaiting him to begin his run down the drenched streets of Konoha. The headache that had appeared during her breakdown at the hospital had only intensified since the water came pouring down onto her head, seemingly seeping through her soft pink locks and into her skull, where it froze everything. Not to mention the numbing pain that had made her into an empty shell, as if her heart had stopped beating and she had lost the ability to smile.

The trip to her home shouldn't be taking this long. Maybe the rain was blinding Naruto and he was having a hard time finding his way there. Probably. Before the thought completely left her mind, she was suddenly somewhere warm, out of the icy storm. Home. She closed her drooping eyes and sighed when the soft leather cushion enveloped her head and back.

"Thanks for bringing me home, Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow." without moving or opening her eyes, she dismissed him, her tone void of all emotion, she was thinking. What would Sel have done? She didn't have to endure nearly half of what the sopping medic had gone through. But she chose suicide in the end anyway, right? So would it really have made a difference?

Nothing made sense to her anymore. What was confusing her even more was the fact that she could still sense Naruto's presence beside her. Her puffy emerald eyes cracked open and scrutinized him. Arms folded across his chest, eyes narrowed slightly, and his sopping blond hair dripping onto the tan carpet.

"No," he stated simply. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. I know you better than that and you're going to do something stupid." sometimes, she wished that he _didn't_ know her as well as he did. Suicide was the best way out, and now she was down that option as well. Childishly, she moved her head to the side and stared at the couch material with a scowl plastered on her frozen lips. His expression softened though she couldn't see it. "I..." he bit his lip and considered saying something else, but decided that this was for the best. "I love you Sakura-chan. And I don't want to lose you....You're the only one I have." his voice cracked at the last part, and she looked at him, suddenly shamed for acting so selfishly. He had never told her that he loved her. She looked away again, then sat up and patted the space next to her. Hesitantly, he moved and sat down.

"Will...." she bit her lip. "Will you still stay if I promise that I won't do anything?" her eyes darted around the floor nervously, suddenly afraid of him leaving her.

"Only if you want me to." was his honest reply. The pink haired kunoichi nodded slowly, hoping that he really would stay until this phase of depression faded, no matter how long that took. "I'll go get us some towels." Naruto walked up the stairs, leaving her on the couch, shivering, and dripping wet. Then when he was out of the room, the pain from the day's past events pricked at the back of her mind annoyingly, lingering, like the remembrance of a nightmare that kept her tossing and turning violently through the night. And until she could get a grip on herself, and for Naruto's sake, that's exactly what she would do; pretend it was just a bad dream, at least until the funeral.

The shinobi thudded noisily down the stairs, one of her bath towels around his shoulders, the other hung nicely over his arm for her. She reached out and took it with trembling fingers. First she dried her hair, then arms, and dabbed at her dowsed clothes, though it would make no difference until she had on some dry pajamas. She set her towel on the floor, and looked through the window at the never-ending storm. Grabbing the arm of the couch for support, Sakura attempted to lift herself up and stand, but it was futile; she nearly collapsed from her shaking knees, but her eyes stayed glued on the rain washed glass.

"What do you need, Sakura?" Naruto stood and placed a hand firmly on her exposed shoulder, still cool from the rain. She clung to his shirt so that she wouldn't stumble again, and took a deep breath.

"We need some dry clothes," her voice was still dead, stripped of every emotion that she was capable of feeling at the present time, and this worried Naruto. He had never seen her this way. Even after Sasuke left she had kept herself together better than this.

"C'mon, let's see what we can find," He half dragged her to the stairs, and finally decided to carry her up the small flight instead of waiting for her to remember how to do it herself. Her small room was too familiar, he had been here many times, hell, he practically lived here. Naruto even kept a few spare changes of clothes in a pile in Sakura's closet. Because after the last tragedy, she had needed him here more than ever since she wasn't used to being in her house alone. It was even worse for her knowing that her parents would never step foot over that doorstep ever again.

It had been a simple escort mission gone wrong, and they were retired ninja, no longer able to fight the way they used to, but took the job because there were no more available shinobi. That was two years ago, and they left their torn seventeen year old daughter alone, just a few short months after Sasuke had been deemed an S ranked criminal. She was all alone.

The blond had placed her on the bed, which was yet again all too familiar. Sleeping wasn't the only activity that took place in that bed anymore. Not with him here five days a week. And it was just another kind deed that he could do for her, and one he himself didn't mind at all either. What was a few hours of bliss and forgetfulness to just regular company in which to help you drown in the sorrow? He would do anything to help.

Knowing exactly where she kept her pajamas and fresh panties, he grabbed them out of her dresser drawers and set them lightly next to her on the Haruno pink and white comforter that adorned her queen sized bed. She followed his every move with her gaze, but didn't even notice the dry clothes that sat next to her until Naruto came out of her closet with his own set of dry, warm, pjs, and raised his eyebrows in question at why she hadn't begun changing. Her hand grazed the top blanket and moved to where her relief from these cold, damp, dirty, clothes lay. Feeling the warm fleece under her fingers, she quickly yanked off the large t-shirt, ripping hers off shortly afterward, and pulled it on. Though her fingers were still trembling, the kunoichi managed to unzip and slide her pants from her cool legs, underwear following moments after.

The shinobi watched her dress. Not out of lust, but concern, this time not for her feelings, but because even though they had been here for at least twenty minutes, her nail beds and knuckles were still blue, as were her toes, and the rest of her skin had a light undertone of the cold color. Still lost in thought, the blue eyed boy nonchalantly watched her unclasp her bra from underneath her shirt and slip it off, putting it onto the wooden floor next to the rest of her soiled clothes.

"You look cold, Sakura-chan. I'll make dinner, and you go take a hot bath so you can warm up," she looked up to him, a slight hint of surprise lingering in her beautiful emerald eyes.

"I'm not cold," she muttered dryly, looking to the floor. Naruto sighed in frustration, he hated when she was stubborn like this. So he shook his head and removed his headband and shirt, throwing it in the pile and setting his forehead protector on her bedside table. "I want to stay with you." she said suddenly, though the kunoichi still wasn't looking at him.

"Huh?" He pulled off his belt, then his pants, boxers, and yanked on the pair of sweats he had grabbed, thinking of why that had anything to do with why she wouldn't look after her health and take a bath.

"I don't want you to leave my sight. I'm afraid you might disappear if you do, like Sasuke and....." she stopped, there was no need to continue, he already knew who she meant. Finally, she moved her head to stare at him. She loved it when he kept his shirt off.

"Well your bathtub isn't big enough for the two of us," a bit of sarcasm rolled from his voice, and he glanced at her to find that a small blush had crept across her face and onto her cheeks from the comment. He was glad to see that at least her face was warm and that she was starting to feel some emotion other than depression. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you take a bath if I stayed in there and kept you company?" she nodded after a minute and attempted yet again to stand, though this time she only wobbled a little, and quickly regained her balance. Naruto took a long stride over to her, and grabbed her hand just in case she were to fall.

Thankfully, the kunoichi had taken the master bedroom after the accident, and there was no need to go downstairs and all the way to the guest bathroom. She had finally gotten some control back in her legs and he didn't want to push it. The pink haired girl shuffled into the bathroom, and Naruto flicked on the switch behind her, illuminating the glossy white tub, toilet, and sink. She sat slowly, carefully, on the edge of the bathtub and turned the water on hot, letting it pelt down onto the bottom noisily. Sakura stared lifelessly as the steaming H2O leveled higher and higher, finally reaching her preferred point after several minutes, and she turned it off, not taking her eyes from the middle of the bath until Naruto nudged her.

Reluctantly she lifted her head up to face her friend. He raised his blond eyebrows after a moment, making his black whisker-like marks, twitch slightly at the movement.

"Are you going to get in?" she looked from the shinobi, to the water, and then down to her shirt and nodded briskly. But she waited a moment before she began to remove her articles of clothing for the second time that afternoon. After a fleeting glance at the pile of clean pajamas on the gray tiled floor, the pink haired kunoichi slipped quietly into the water, cringing slightly at the heat in contrast to the ice in her hands and feet. She got in safely, and Naruto sat on the closed toilet seat, not knowing if he should say anything.

"What day is it?" Sakura turned her head without enthusiasm and stared at the blond boy without really seeing him. He straightened and looked at the clock that she had on the far wall in her bedroom. 11:17.

"It's not midnight yet, so it's still Wednesday," his tone was bored, but he knew she wouldn't mind. She looked back up to the ceiling, her long pink locks floating oddly in the misty water around her porcelain face.

"Oh," her delicate hands were clasped around her stomach, and her left knee was sticking out of the water, gleaming green eyes dazed and distant.

"Tomorrow will be better," he said absently, not knowing how she would react to that. Her eyebrows rose slightly.

"Yeah, a funeral's the vanilla ice-cream in my newest poison sundae," she hated vanilla. At least she had gotten back some of her dry sense of humor, even if her voice was still emotionless. He grinned, though he knew she was right. Tomorrow wouldn't be any better than today, maybe even worse. The smile vanished and was replaced with an unfamiliar scowl. A few silent minutes passed, and the kunoichi hadn't even budged.

"Am I really the only one you have?" this was an unexpected question. She hadn't shown much interest in anything for awhile.

"Yeah," the jounin mumbled, hanging his head, wishing that she hadn't said anything, but at the same time grateful that some life was returning to her. She was making a quick recovery. Only her lips flittered as she spoke, the rest of her body still unnaturally still.

"Will you move in?" the ceiling seemed to be incredibly interesting, and Naruto caught himself gazing upward as well, just to try and see what she saw. "With me?" what had brought this on? He would take her up on that offer anytime, but, why was she suddenly asking him a favor such as this?

"Definitely, Sakura-chan," he smiled weakly, and it didn't reach his words or lapis eyes, but merely hung in the air, like the last notes of a fading composition in a music hall.


	3. Chapter 3

Though the water was starting to get colder, Sakura's hands and feet had turned back to their normal color, and the blond had been right; she was much warmer now. Hesitantly, she sat up, her pink locks sticking to her back and sending water droplets down her spine, and pulled the plug to empty the water. It bubbled and gargled noisily, and after a moment of watching it spiral down the drain, she cautiously lifted herself out of the tub and onto the yellow bath-mat that lay on the floor. It quickly absorbed the moisture from the bottoms of her feet. Naruto then got up from his seat and grabbed a pink and gold towel from the rack, holding it out to her and eyeing her skeptically for any sign that she might fall over or stumble and slip on the damp tile. But thankfully, she was able to dry herself off and put her fleece pajamas back on without much difficulty.

"Feel better?" Naruto asked lightly as she put her towel in the hamper and locked her gaze with his. Still there was no smile, and not even a hint of any emotion on her face or in her unnaturally dead eyes.

"Yeah," the kunoichi nodded stiffly and look out towards the black window, seemingly fascinated with the hammering of the hard rain on the casement. Another thought led back to her book, and she concentrated on that. Aman's sister i_had_/idied, yes. But after only a single day of mourning, he had not forgotten the tragedy, but continued on with his life as happily as possible so that he could effectively take care of his farm and loving wife, Sel. And she was a help to him as well; making sure he ate, slept and lived without sorrow. Just like Naruto was doing for her. And suddenly she felt ashamed. No matter how she acted, or what words came out of her mouth, nothing would bring any of them back: Sasuke, her mother, father…Kakashi. She needed to get a grip, for Naruto if not anyone else.

He took the two strides over to where the kunoichi stood, motionless, lost in thought, and put his hand on the small of her back, breaking her out of her reverie. She glanced at him and something, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something in her emerald eyes. But whatever it was, it was better than nothing. He led her to the bed, and pulled down the comforter so that she was free to crawl under the large blankets. The shinobi watched her, then made his way to the other side and slid in under the covers, laying his head on the pillow and staring at his pink haired friend who still had that unknown glimmer in her beautiful eyes.

"Naruto," she whispered almost incomprehensively. "Please, so I can forget. Just for a little while," her pleads held the emotion that she had been bottling up, and he could tell that she was near breaking point. So of course, he complied with her request. Anything to help her. He inched his face slowly to hers, closing his eyes an instant before their lips met. And just then, every sensation that she was capable of feeling flooded into her mind, but only a few coming into play in that moment; passion, longing, affection. And everything became clear, no longer a blur in her mind. As if her world had gone from monochrome to color in an instant.

She wove her fingers through his spiky blonde hair, pulling him closer to her as their mouths meshed, moved and brushed along each other in a gentle fashion. Naruto ran a hand up her leg and to her thigh, sending tingles of anticipation running through her limbs, then traced the outside of her luscious lips with his warm tongue. But knowing that tonight wasn't the best time to get carried away since they had an early start in the morning, he pulled away slowly, ever so slowly. He stared into her emerald green eyes and brushed a wet lock of hair behind her ear tenderly.

"Get some sleep Sakura-chan," he kissed her forehead and turned off the light. "We have a long day tomorrow." She nodded slightly and lay her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes, waiting, willing sleep to come quickly and take her into a dreamless night. And it did. Though, her slumber wasn't completely void of imaginings, none were of Kakashi and his recent departure from this world, but merely tiny flickers of the romantic conversations that took place between Sel and Aman in her precious book that just repeated themselves in her head over and over, until someone was shaking her gently awake.

"Huh?" she cracked open her eyes and yawned groggily. "What time is it?" the kunoichi then sat up and rubbed her puffy green eyes, her long pink tresses messy and tangled as they usually were in the morning. After stretching for a moment, she looked over at Naruto who already seemed to be showered and dressed in his mourning clothes, a grim look in his eyes as if he were dreading her attitude after the funeral, but a large grin on his face. "And why do I smell pancakes?" it had seemed as if most of the emotion that she had locked up for those few hours had come back again, and for that the blond was thankful.

"I decided to try and make breakfast for you," he smiled wider and put his hands behind his neck, proud to finally cook something other than ramen. A weak grin appeared on Sakura's face, but her eyes still remained dead. She wobbled out of bed and followed Naruto into the kitchen where a large stack of fresh blueberry pancakes stood steaming in the middle of her dining room table. Her eyes lit up slightly as she realized how hungry she truly was and grabbed three off of the plate and smothered them in maple syrup. She inhaled the marvelous scent and cut into the soft cakes with her fork, shoving them into her mouth greedily, and her eyes widened at the taste. Even though Naruto had cooked them, they were delicious. The blond ate slowly, for he was watching Sakura with skepticism, if she continued to shovel down the food like that, she was liable to choke, though thankfully she finished her meal without any fatalities and he was free to continue eating his own plate without worry.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she stood up, plate in hand so that she could bring it to the sink on her way into the bedroom, and walked off, the blank look back in her eyes. He watched her until she was out of his sight, and then scraped off the rest of his pancakes into the trash. The shinobi had suddenly lost his appetite at the thought of the dead shell that he feared Sakura would turn back into after the funeral, the only realization for her that ihe/i was really gone.

He put his sticky plate on the counter and began cleaning the kitchen, keeping an ear open for any sound that might signal an emergency; a crash, screaming maybe. Glad that she had a dishwasher, he rinsed and stuffed the dirty dishes in, waiting for her to come back into the room before he turned it on, for it might impair his ability to hear the kunoichi on the next floor. So instead, he took a sponge and wiped down the already clean counters for the second time, deciding then to go check up on her. He was beginning to get paranoid. She wasn't a magnet for danger; unlike himself and Lee. After all, it had only been fifteen minutes. But still.

Leaving the pink sponge in the sink, he silently hurried up her carpeted stairs, quietly turning the knob to her door and walking into her room. She had a towel wrapped around her torso that draped to her mid-thigh, and was bending over one of her open drawers and shuffling through her clothes, looking for her black mourning dress that every female in the village was required to wear to a funeral, like his top and pants.

"You okay?" he asked softly, staying by the door. She straightened and turned to look at him, eyes slightly wide, a hint of surprise adorning them.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come up," she replied with the same gentle tone. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" the blond looked away and rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, wondering why he even asked in the first place.

"It's just," he wasn't sure how to say it without making her feel worse. "Ever since yesterday….It's like you're….dead," he finally brought his tear filled eyes to meet hers. "I can't stand seeing you like this Sakura-chan, I'd rather see you miserable than this. Better something than nothing," if she hadn't already figured that out, it would've hit home. So she just walked over to him and embraced him in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Naruto-kun. I should have better control over myself, and believe me, I'm trying," he could hear the sincerity in her voice and returned the hug. He would give her time to recover, and not push her harder than she was already pushing herself. Especially since it was hurting her this much. He kissed her tenderly on the head and allowed her to continue dressing. Instinctively, the blond looked over to the clock to see how long they had before they had to leave. It was already 8:15, so only a few more minutes. He returned to watching her, a small smile on his lips. He was glad that she had grown her hair out again; it already went down to the small of her back. Almost every girl in the village was envious of her and the adoring looks she got from the men. Though, she wasn't a girl anymore; her eighteenth birthday had been last month.

The sound of her drawers sliding shut broke him from his trance and she turned to look at him.

"Ready?" he asked, taking another look at the clock. 8:17. He liked to be early, unlike his former sensei. Sakura nodded stiffly and quickly pulled her hair back into a messy bun, tying her black forehead protector on afterward. And even dressed for a funeral she could stop traffic with her outrageous beauty. She had outdone Ino years ago. A sigh passed through her lips.

"Yeah," the kunoichi seemed reluctant. No. That was an understatement. As if she would rather die herself or watch Kakashi's death over and over again than have to go through with this. She sauntered over to Naruto and he took her hand in his, giving her a last kiss on the cheek before they left the house, locking the door behind them.

It even seemed as if the air itself knew what today was going to bring, for there was an atmosphere of anguish throughout Konoha. More storm clouds lay threateningly in the sky above them, but they seemed to be holding in the rain until the proper time, as if they too were mourning for the Anbu's sudden death. Other villagers walked along the roads, silent, in pain, shadows in their darkened clothes within the sunless streets.

His blue eyes darted around to the many people who were leaving their homes to start for Hokage tower like the rest of them, but not many, as far as he could tell, were shinobi. His best guess was that the others were on important missions and therefore, were unable to attend. Before he knew it, they were already walking up the stairs to the roof of Hokage tower where the funeral was to be held. Crowds of people had already begun forming rows, flowers in each of their hands. And just as he had suspected, only two lines of leaf ninja stood in front of everyone else, and they walked over to take their place alongside them, grabbing a flower from the pile on their way.

Everyone grew silent as Lady Hokage marched to the memorial that had been set up for the silver haired Anbu. The picture of him and team 7 sat on the stone coffin that would later be placed in the village cemetery. And his name would be carved into the wall for shinobi that had died in the line of duty; the one that he had visited every day that he wasn't on a mission.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Yesterday a group of Anbu Black Ops returned from their mission to track down the Akatsuki," hushed whispers could be heard as the villagers silently discussed this new bit of information. "And we lost an excellent shinobi. They found the group of rogue ninja, and unfortunately, they had been found out. While defending themselves against them, one of our ninja was struck down, and before the final blow, Kakashi jumped in front of him to defend his comrade," a drop of rain hit the photo, and several people looked up to the menacing black clouds, and more droplets fell from the sky, as if it were crying with the others. Noiseless tears streamed down Sakura's face, but she wiped them away quickly. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. She looked to him.

"It's okay," he said, his own tears slithered down his pale cheeks as he spoke. Someone grabbed her other hand, and she looked over, surprised that she hadn't seen him there before. His eyes were filled with understanding, and he squeezed her hand a little tighter. The blond didn't seem to mind. Besides, now wasn't the time to get upset over a little thing like that, so he just took her right hand, allowing Kiba to continue holding her left. The kunoichi gave herself this last while to cry for her loss. But after this, she would never shed another tear for Kakashi Hatake.

The first shinobi in their row walked forward, bowing and placing the white lily flower in place and walking back to his spot in line, letting the next ninja in procession to do the same. Then it was Kiba's turn, and with a fleeting glance in her direction, he dropped her hand and stepped forward dutifully. When he began to come back, Sakura stiffened and released her fingers from the other boy's and walked briskly to the coffin, setting the flower on top of the few others, bowed, and lingered there a bit longer than necessary, gazing at the familiar picture, then turned and returned to the line, not paying any attention to the rest of them as they repeated the process.

It seemed as if hours had passed before everyone had finished, and by now, she was shaking and dripping wet, a bad recur of yesterday's run to Hokage tower. She hadn't noticed that both Kiba and Naruto had taken her hands for the second time until they started walking after the fellow villagers as they left the rooftop.

Tsunade grabbed Sakura's shoulder, stopping them as she looked back to stare at her.

"I'm sorry for the bad timing, but you three need to come with me," the jounin exchanged worried glances, but allowed the Hokage to pass and lead them to her warm office downstairs. The kunoichi released her hands and wrapped her arms around herself, hoping desperately that this was not more bad news. Finally, they reached the large room and the busty woman sat down in her chair, a sigh of relief leaving her lips, knowing that at least the funeral was finally over. After a moment, she looked up at the doubtful shinobi and put her chin in her hands. "You three are being assigned an S ranked mission,"


	4. Chapter 4

Though Tsunade had her aging jutsu on, she looked very old today; black rings under her red eyes, worry lines creasing her forehead. She closed her eyes and grabbed her sake glass, taking a small sip and looking back to the three ninja before her.

"Our Anbu squad was forced to retreat because of Kakashi's injuries, and they never got accurate information since they were found out in the midst of following them to their hideout," the busty blond filled her half-empty glass. Naruto gulped, he knew exactly what the mission would be, and he didn't like it. "The squad said that they were following them north. I need you three jounin to scout them out and report back immediately with their whereabouts." She then waved them off dismissively, taking a large swig straight from the bottle, figuring it useless to just refill her now empty glass.

Naruto walked ahead, leading the new squad through Konoha gates, thinking, hating, leaving Kiba and Sakura a few yards behind. They knew how he felt about this; tracking the group of ninja who had been hunting him down, fighting to capture him at any chance they had. Though he would never say it, or show it for that matter, he was terrified. But he would do anything that would help the village, life or death.

The kunoichi took a deep breath, this was a mission that required her undivided attention, and she would forcefully push Kakashi out of her mind if that's what it came down to. Kiba gently slid her hand into his, and she smiled warmly, thankful that there were at least a few people alive that she still cared about. Though the pink haired girl was wondering why this boy was suddenly showing an interest in her. They had only recently become good friends; Tsunade would assign them important missions together. But they made an excellent team.

Since the path from the village gates led North-west, they veered off into the northern forest, taking their time, knowing that if they were to move too quickly, the shinobi were sure to run into traps that they wouldn't have noticed at that speed. Sakura was impressed with Naruto though. In that backpack of his was two tents, two sleeping bags, and food that everyone who might be on the mission would enjoy, not just ramen. He always carried the backpack around in case an immediate mission such as this came up.

"How're you feeling Sakura?" Kiba asked nonchalantly, breaking her from her trance. She glanced at him, and then back at Naruto, who seemed to be fuming, she could see his anger, even at this distance.

"I'm worried about him," she said mostly to herself, furrowing her brow and pursing her lips in concentration, but then replied with the real answer to his question. "I'm much better now, after all, this is a mission, and I can't let other things cloud my mind," he nodded. "Sorry you had to see that yesterday Kiba-kun. He…it wasn't expected, so….I finally snapped." He squeezed her hand reassuringly, smiling warmly at her. They walked for awhile longer, and the blonde boy still hadn't said anything, or even looked at them. Sakura bit her lip, wondering if going up there would be a good idea. "I'll be right back," he dropped her hand.

"Naruto?" she jogged up to him, a slight bounce to her chest that seemed to gather more stares than she cared to think about. Gently, she ran her hand down his bare arm and he looked over to her, heavy worry in his eyes, but a smile on his face. To her surprise, he bent down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She saw right through it though. "Don't worry, please. We'll get home safely," she grabbed his hand, and it slowly unclenched and he wrapped his fingers around hers, as if it was a serious effort to do just that.

"It's not me I'm worried about," he stated quietly, his blue eyes searching for something unknown in the distance. "Sakura-chan," he took a deep breath. "I know how strong you are, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to….to lose you," he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, fighting back the tears he knew might come.

"It's not as if they'll find us, that Anbu squad was huge, it's no wonder they were caught. But just you, me, and Kiba?" to her surprise, he started laughing, the booming sound echoing through the trees, scaring a bird from a nearby branch.

"You're right Sakura-chan," he smiled, then stopped, snaked his free hand around the back of her neck, and kissed her warmly on the lips. Though for some reason, this felt like the last time she would see him in a very long time, so she kissed him back, making it last.

"Hey, you two up there!" Kiba called, sounding annoyed. "Quit sucking face, this is a mission!" she pulled away from him and playfully stuck her tongue out at Kiba, giving Naruto one last peck. They then waited for the brown haired boy to catch up to them, which didn't take long, and once again, the blond had her right hand, and the other boy her left.

The shadows of the trees shaded them from the hot summer sun and the last few threatening rainclouds that hovered menacingly in the somewhat clear sky, only slightly visible through the thick foliage. A few hours passed, several words exchanged, and just as predicted, the clouds finally gave in and they were caught in the day's second downpour, only a bit more protected by the large branches from the trees. By now all three were running at top speed, wanting to find shelter from the cool precipitation as soon as possible.

Finally, the kunoichi spotted a cave to her far right embedded into the large cliff-face that told them they were heading into a nearby valley, where an old river used to be. The forest thinned and they slowed to a jog, panting heavily as they entered the dry cave. Sakura bent down, hands on her knees, fighting to get her breathing back on track before plopping down on the hard ground and resting her head against the wall of the cave.

"I don't know if I can go any farther today," she sighed, wiping a drop of water from her wet hair off of her face. The two boys followed her movement and sat on the rocky floor. Kiba snickered.

"Well, we don't have to rush until we find them," Akamaru barked once in agreement and jumped out of the boy's newest black sweater, curling up on the ground by his knee. "It is only midday though. Maybe we should go a few more miles," Naruto shook his head in disagreement.

"I'm not going to let Sakura-chan keep going in the rain like this," it was an order, not a statement. Then the girl piped in, ending the new silence that had engulfed them.

"Did anyone bring extra clothes?" all three exchanged glances and Kiba shrugged, then the blond boy pulled off his backpack and began digging through. Thankfully, he found a large black t-shirt, and some navy blue fleece pajama pants that he kept with him. He handed them to her with a forced smile; he hadn't seen her shaking like that.

"Thanks Naruto-kun," she put them next to her, not wanting to hold them and get them wet from her dripping clothes. Slowly, she stood up and started unbuttoning her black mourning blouse, Kiba watching intently. Before all the plastic buttons were undone and only a little flesh was revealed, she glanced over at him, then at Naruto who was politely looking away. "Do you mind?" her eyebrows shot up, and the brown haired boy grunted and looked out to the hazardous storm that made midday look like midnight. But just in case, she turned around.

Once her pants, shoes, and shirt were off, it felt as though a ton had been lifted from her; wet clothes weighed more than she thought. With a quick backward glance to the boy who was probably peeking but thankfully wasn't at the moment, she slid off her damp bra and panties, quickly throwing on the large t-shirt and sweats so that she wasn't naked long enough for the boys to take a glance at her behind, despite the fact that Naruto had already seen it more times than a single person could count.

Although it was pouring outside, it was rather warm in the cave, as if the remains from the day's heat had been stored there, making it more comfortable than first thought. The kunoichi bent down and picked up her garments, putting them nicely on a rock so that they'd be dry by morning. Besides, it would probably rain tomorrow again anyway. Naruto stood up and stretched his arms, grabbing the tents out of his bag so that they could begin setting up for the night. The other jounin, surprisingly, was still staring out into the storm, pondering, wondering, in his own world that his teammates wouldn't disturb. But once he heard the clanging from the tent poles, his reverie was broken.

"Preparing for tonight already?" he asked, standing up and striding over to help the blond, though he clearly didn't need it. Both tents had been pitched in under ten minutes, and they were putting the sleeping bags in, the final touch. The boys returned to sitting on the cave floor, being as silent as possible, watching the pink haired girl's every shift and movement. A few minutes of awkward surveillance, Sakura stood up, yawned, and kissed Naruto on the cheek, a gesture that usually told him that she was going to bed. Lightning lit her straightening figure, and then rumbled the soles of her feet as the thunder crashed nearby.

Since the clouds had gotten darker, the only light that they currently had was the lightning, and it frightened her. It wasn't the dark or the flashes that signaled the storm that scared her, it was the ninja who appeared seemingly out of nowhere at times like this. With the hammering rain concealing every sound, and washing away the scents they may leave, as if they were never there to begin with.

"I'm tired," she had unconsciously drifted her gaze to the downpour outside, and quickly looked to Kiba, then Naruto. "I think I'm going to go to sleep," she began to take the few steps to the tents then turned back toward them. "Hey, when are you coming to bed?" her question was directed to the blond, and he looked at the floor.

"I think I'll sleep alone tonight," Sakura was taken aback. But smoothed her features into a soft smile anyway and nodded. In her head was chaos. Sharing a tent with Kiba? How that would turn out, bad or good, she had no clue. She flicked her emerald eyes quickly to the brown haired boy, and then stepped into the tent, not bothering to zip up the door, knowing Kiba would have to unzip it again anyway and wake her from the noise. No sooner than she had gotten comfortable in the large sleeping bag, her eyes shot open at the newest remark.

"I'm bushed," Kiba stood up. Damn, she thought he would come in while she was sleeping. But she wasn't sure why she was scared of sleeping with him, in the literal sense of course. She figured it was probably because she didn't know what to expect. "See you in the morning Naruto," Akamaru surprisingly stayed put, and the jounin walked into the immense tent, zipping up the plastic door, allowing no entry for the dog, which was unusual. She stayed laying on her side, her back to him.

The boy slipped into the sleeping bag next to her, and was sure to keep his hands to himself. Well, mostly at least. He started running the back of his hand down her silky pink tresses, but didn't say anything. So Sakura broke the silence.

"Can I…" she bit her lip and hesitated wondering if she should ask. "Can I ask you something?" he stiffened noticeably for a fraction of a second, and then resumed playing gently with her hair. She stayed motionless, keeping her face away from his searching eyes.

"Sure Sakura," they both waited, the silence growing heavier as the seemingly long seconds ticked by as she pondered how to word her query.

"Why have you been doing this?" hopefully he knew what she was talking about. But there was an air of confusion, so she decided to clarify. "I mean, holding my hand and watching me intently every chance you get," he dropped his hand from her tresses, a motion that made her wince; thinking she had angered or annoyed him in some way.

"Isn't it obvious?" his hand returned to her, but this time began stroking her arm, his fingers barely brushing her skin. It sent uncontrollable shivers of pleasure through her bones, and she wondered why. She was surely growing fonder of him, but why? And finally, she turned to face him, her brow wrinkled in confusion, and her pink locks falling across her back like a cascading waterfall. She never thought that Kiba of all people would show an interest in her. His hand then cupped her cheek and he bent down, planting a tender kiss on her soft lips. She closed her eyes, enjoying the new sensation. It felt so different when Naruto kissed her, and she was ashamed to admit it, but she suddenly liked Kiba better. As if he had been there alongside the blond, helping her through every tragedy.

He pulled back and smiled, but then it suddenly disappeared. "You aren't dating Naruto, are you?" she shook her head.

"No," her finger traced his lips. An action that one little kiss wouldn't have, shouldn't have triggered. "We're just…Friends with benefits,"


	5. Chapter 5

With that last comment as a reassurance that Sakura would not be betraying the blond, the shinobi moved his hand to her waist, pulling the pink haired medic closer to him as he bent down and planted another mind melting kiss onto her warm lips. To his surprise, she greedily accepted and wound her delicate fingers around his neck, pressing their mouths tightly together. She slackened her grip, allowing more space to twist their tongues together, giving the kunoichi new sensation upon emotion that she had never experienced with a man before.

A flash from yesterday echoed suddenly in her mind, forcing a gasp from her dainty lips, and her emerald gems to shoot open. Forcefully, she pushed Kiba back.

Naruto…..She had asked him to move in, to stay with her.

Sakura's pink tresses fell over her face in a curtain as she sat up, assessing the brown haired boy's puzzled expression. Her hands trembled beneath her as she thought.

"S-Sakura?" her head shook frantically, and a silent tear fell down her face, but she quickly wiped it away. The sleeping bag crinkled under her fisted grip, and she stared to the black material, regret and guilt, she could taste them on her tongue.

"No," she whispered. Knowing that even though she couldn't hear herself speak, that Kiba would surely know what she said. "I…No….Can't. I can't…Just can't." the last part came out as an impatient gust of air. With that, she shook her head and lay back down, her back to the confused dog loving boy next to her. Though it took a few moments for the shinobi to clear his head, eventually he crawled into the sleeping bag with the girl.

Sleep did not wash over her, and she couldn't tell how long she had been lying awake, but the brown haired boy had long since fallen into a silent slumber, his slow, even breathing the only sound within the tent other than the hammering of the rain outside of the cave.

Whether the blond wanted to sleep alone or not, she didn't care. She just needed to be with him. The kunoichi crawled over Kiba, who didn't even budge as she made her way out of the tent and into the cool cave. Goose bumps rose on her exposed arms, and she hugged herself, hoping the friction may do something to help. It didn't. Hastily, she began unzipping the door flap to Naruto's tent, but before she could get it halfway down, a kunai was being held to her neck. She instantly backed away from it, leaving a small cut near her collarbone, a drop of blood rolling down her chest.

"Naruto?" she choked out through the surprise. He finished opening the tent and looked at her, an apologetic expression covering his handsome whiskered face. "I know you s-said you wanted to be alone, but…" he grabbed her wrist lightly and gently pulled her in. The jounin allowed Sakura to crawl into the warm sleeping bag as he closed the door, not letting any more cold wind blow in. He stayed sitting up. His headband and shirt had been removed, revealing his muscular tan chest that the kunoichi was all too used to seeing now.

"I only told you that I wanted to sleep alone because I wanted Kiba to have a chance with you," his darkened blue eyes stayed fixed on the ground, and a wistful yet relieved grin was set upon his lips since she decided to return to his tent. The pink haired medic furrowed her brow in confusion and then huffed loudly in frustration. The cut on her neck was beginning to tingle, and she brought her fingers up to wipe the blood from the minor wound, staring at the crimson liquid intently. Naruto glanced at her and shifted so that he was able to lean over and examine what he had done. Unexpectedly, he bent down and licked the flowing blood away, then kissed up the girl's neck, and to her lips.

Without breaking from her luscious mouth, he used his left hand for support while twisting his free fingers through her long locks and moved his legs so that his body was above hers, already preparing for the events they knew would follow soon. As if she were as delicate as she looked, he slowly, smoothly lowered her to the floor as both of her small arms wound around his strong torso, a sudden flash of lightning illuminating them slightly even through the material of the tent. He pulled back to admire her shadowed figure lying seductively underneath him, her pink tresses splayed familiarly around her porcelain face, knees bent and upright, nearly skimming his bare stomach. Even in utter darkness she was magnificent.

"I-I," her broken whisper was almost completely drowned out by the squall, and she bit her lip, hoping he didn't want her to say more. But unwillingly, she blurted it out, knowing that sometimes her tongue had a mind of its own, and for this particular situation, that may not be a good thing. "I love you, Naruto-kun," and that alone was invitation enough. But, since when did he need an invitation? Words were not necessary tonight; for the rumbling thunder and pounding rain already set a perfect mood.

Her last confession still rang in his ears as he planted chaste kisses along her neck, caressing them like velvet rose, over and over. He shivered when her long nails stroked like feathers down his back, an arousing sensation that was only known to her, and she used it to her advantage every time. He was butter in her more than capable hands. Naruto's lips brushed along her collarbone, and he trailed his tongue up her neck, along her jaw line, finally nipping at her earlobe with his teeth, her most sensitive pleasure point. A moan, sounding more like a whimper or helpless plead came lightly through her parted mouth, as if she were begging for more. And he knew she was.

His hot tongue traced her lips, and she began tugging at her shirt. With a smirk and small chuckled, he slid it off for her, only breaking away for a brief second to allow the full removal of her cotton top. He was relieved that there was no bra to eliminate, so his lips returned to hers, the neck, finally to her petite and hardened nipples, giving them small kisses and light flicks with his wet tongue. Her hands ruffled his blonde hair and she giggled when he looked up at her and smiled.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his lips gradually moved forward until they met hers. Though he was not rough, for his mouth only barely brushed the girl's, causing sweet friction to spark between them, igniting their newest desires. Using his left hand as leverage, his right fingers combed through her silky hair, and caressed the side of her voluptuous figure, following the shape of her pale, supple breasts down to her hip, pulling lightly at the material of her sweats, willing them to come off on their own. Her cold hand traced down the muscles in his straightened arm before repositioning both of her limbs at the waistline of her night pants, pushing them down and kicking them off as soon as they hit her ankles.

It then occurred to her that he was still clothed, yet she was lying stark naked underneath him. He lifted his head from hers when her lips formed into a pout. Chuckling and still one handed the blond swiftly removed the remainder of his clothing only to return his waiting mouth to her soft cheek, planting kisses along her face until he decided that she had been teased long enough. Naruto's teeth grazed the medic's ear, and her breath was beginning to come out in fast pants. He then licked down her shoulder, torso, and stomach, but stopped to begin kissing down her thighs and leg, then back up again and to the other. The shinobi straightened slightly and looked into Sakura's emerald gaze.

"Say my name," he whispered huskily, a smirk forming on his lips.

"Naruto,"

"Again,"

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto," her delicate fingers swept across his whiskered cheek. "I love you," he grinned and lowered his head, licking along the inside of her thigh and to her pleasure point, kissing her clit and dragging his tongue gently around her outer lips, moan after whimper of ecstasy flowing through her mouth and into the silent air.

_There were times when Aman and I would make love over and over until the sun rose above the horizon, and then I would sleep in his arms until it came time to begin the daily chores. It was always so passionate and full of desire for the other. I miss moments such as those. When Ruben touches me, it is merely lust for a woman and nothing more. _

The blond's wet lips returned to her mouth, placing a fervent kiss upon her and positioned himself automatically, as if his body were a few steps ahead of him. She spread her legs a little wider so as to allow him easy entrance. They could both sense the others' impatience to begin, for it had been weeks since their previous lovemaking session, and for some reason, the kunoichi also felt that it would be their last. She bit her lip, knowing that she would probably wake Kiba with her uncontrollable noises if she didn't try to be as quiet as possible.

His erection stood noticeably beneath him, brushing his abdomen with even the slightest of bodily shifts. And as if on cue, he slid inside the pink haired girl, the loud exhale through her nose a signal that it was taking a lot of concentration to keep her moans silent. She bit down harder, puncturing her bottom lip, a drop of blood trickled down the side of her face, and he thrust into her again. The kunoichi slammed her eyes shut, the new blackness she saw only a single shade darker than that of the light, or lack of, in the tent. The blond leaned down, his head hung next to hers, and his speed picked up. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, the sound of his panting arousing her more and more, making it even more difficult for her.

The shinobi chuckled and snaked his right hand around her waist, lifting her slightly, and flipped them over without pulling out, a skill that had taken him many awkward times to master. She straightened and drew in a shaky breath through her nose, the blood still seeping from her bottom lip, and moved her hips up, down, up, down. She increased her speed when this became more familiar for her, and after a moment she found her head hung, hair cascading down to Naruto's torso. She flipped her head back, her pink locks followed swiftly in a delayed movement.

The blond was gritting his teeth, he was getting closer, and he sometimes found his groans of pleasure to be even louder than Sakura's, and he still had to worry about waking Kiba. A whimper passed through her red lips, and she bit down harder, clawing the blond's sweating torso, tiny droplets of blood appearing on the paths her nails had taken down his tan skin. The sound of smacking skin was sure to already have woken the sleeping brown haired boy, and she couldn't hold it any longer.

"NARUTO!" the kunoichi screamed as a mind rattling orgasm ripped through her fragile body, the blond growling fiercely underneath her as he experienced the same pleasure that left the girl trying to catch her breath. The blond sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing the pale skin above her luscious breasts. His hot breath tantalized her skin, and his spiky hair tickled her revealed neck. After a moment of inhaling her marvelous scent, he pulled them down so that he was once again on his back; her hot cheek over his fast-beating heart. It hadn't lasted long, but then again, it never did when they had been devoid of this kind of bliss for as long as they had. Before, when this had become a weekly ritual, hours and hours would fly by.

"I love you Sakura-chan," he leaned forward slightly and kissed the top of her head, ignoring the sound of a zipper being undone from the other side of the cave, a smile appearing on her face from the comforting words. But it was wiped away when she realized what Naruto was listening to. Akamaru yipped and the echoing footsteps disappeared into the pouring rain outside. The medic groaned; she knew they had to go after him. She stood up and exited the tent to retrieve her damp clothes. There was no reason to soil a good pair of dry pajamas. "Where are you going?"

"Its enemy territory out there, we can't just leave him," she looked back at the blond who was exiting the tent with an incredulous expression plastered on his face.

"He'll come back," the shinobi had put his clothes back on and was currently walking towards the pink haired girl, scratching the back of his neck as he went. She shook her head slowly.

"No, something's not right. I have a bad feeling about this. Prepare yourself, Naruto-kun," she gazed out into the storm, readying herself for the cold darkness that lurked like a menacing shadow just barely out of reach. After a moment, she checked that she had all of her kunai and shuriken for the ready. As a kunoichi from the Leaf, knowing when a battle wasn't far off was a good talent to have. And she had it.


	6. Chapter 6

The pink haired medic stepped out into the pouring rain, the heavy downpour washing away the blood from her chin and lips, instantly drenching her clothes and still damp hair. It would be difficult to fight out here; it was already a challenge to see more than 5 feet ahead. And there was no point in calling the brown haired boy's name, no matter how acute his senses, the rain and thunder would surely drown out any noise, dangerous. It was after all, possible enemy ground.

She motioned for the blonde to follow her, not needing to give him vocal direction as to what they were doing. They sprinted into the trees, sloshing through the wet ground, wondering if they were even headed in the right direction. Then after about ten minutes of running, searching for their comrade, they stumbled across him sitting under a large willow that was doing a decent job of shielding both him and Akamaru from the majority of the rain.

"Kiba!" Naruto yelled, though the noise didn't go farther than the blond's lips, the vicious storm had silenced their words. Soon they both were under the tree with the brown haired boy, panting, dripping, and shaking from the icy drops.

"Thank god we found you," the pink haired medic sighed, knowing she was close enough to him for the sound to travel to his ears. He looked to her, a hurt expression on his face, confusion adorning his brown eyes. She held out her hand for him to take. "We need to get back," he hesitantly took her hand. "It's not safe out here,"

"No, it's not," a deep voice sounded from behind them, the hairs on their necks standing on end. Sakura's head whipped around, her frightened emerald gaze resting upon a silver haired man who wore the Akatsuki robe. Then a second appeared next to him suddenly, as if he were able to move as fast as the lightning that lit the scene. Unfortunately, she recognized this one. Uchiha, Itachi.

"Naruto, run," her voice was shaken, but it was a command nonetheless.

"We do not wish to fight," Itachi took a step closer to the kunoichi. "My only interest for now is the girl, and if she comes peacefully, then she will remain unharmed in our care," the black haired man explained in his emotionless voice. The other chuckled. Confusion flitted across the girl's face, but just as quickly it faded into a neutral expression so as not to give away her incomprehension with the black haired man's latest confession. Kiba's stance shifted the slightest bit, putting him in a more comfortable position to attack. The bristle like hairs on Akamaru's neck stood up, and he growled loudly.

"Well, well," the gray haired one pulled a sword from the sheath on his back, mimicking the brown haired shinobi's stance. "It looks like we won't get to leave without a fight," his eyes and body radiated with excitement.

"Don't get too excited Hidan," Itachi put his hands up, forming a single hand sign. "This won't take long," the one called Hidan grunted, but did not move from his position. The kunoichi and other shinobi relaxed their stances slightly and smirked, a perplexed expression forming on the sliver haired man's face as he realized that one of them was missing. Sakura rocked back on her heels, quickly moving her hands into sign after sign; horse, tiger, dog.

A delicate laugh escaped from her parted lips as a flash of lightning illuminated them once more, taking the girl with it. Itachi narrowed his eyes, lowering his hands. Hidan growled feverishly and looked around frantically, bewildered that he could no longer detect her chakra. Or Naruto's for that matter. Kiba cleared his throat, kneeling down next to an angered Akamaru, readying his attack.

"Man beast transformation!" a clone now taking over the dog's body smiled back at the two men. "Fang over fang!" spiraling at top speed toward them, there was no time to dodge the gigantic sword that Hidan thrust at him, stopping him in midair. Blood rolled down his chin, poured from his abdomen, and, _poof. _

"A clone?!" he snarled, teeth bared.

"Wha-," Itachi gasped as the kunoichi plummeted toward him through the rain, kunai at the ready. He turned eyes wide as Naruto raced toward Hidan, eyes red and feline, whiskers more prominent on his face, and that ever known crimson chakra swirling around him menacingly. "Ughn!" the pink haired girl tackled him to the ground, shoving a knife in each of his shoulders. She pinned him by his wrists with her monstrous grip. iPoof/i.

The girl smiled as a firm hand snaked around her neck. "Heh," another cloud of smoke filled the air as her own substitute disappeared. The black haired man grimaced and searched the perimeter with his sharingan, finding no one. But they would be back. That hand sign from earlier was no fluke.

"Do you think we lost them?" Sakura called to her comrades through the storm as they ran as fast as they could through the thickening forest. Kiba laughed.

"They're eating our dus- What?!" they came to a stumbling halt as the two men stood in front of them, right next to the large willow that the brown haired shinobi had taken cover under before this battle had started.

"I can't believe I didn't see his genjutsu!" the kunoichi complained, taking yet another defensive stance. Sword drawn, Hidan launched toward the group of jounin, aiming directly for Kiba, anger evident on his face. Once closer, he changed his course and turned toward the girl who began dodging each swing with the grace of a ballerina, as if it were a dance they had rehearsed over and over again. With a quick glance to her left, she saw Kiba and Naruto in a battle of taijutsu with the black haired Akatsuki member. And was that ever a mistake. He took her momentary distraction to slam her into the trunk of a tree, hand tightly around her neck,

"Sakura!" the blonde shinobi yelled through the still hammering rain before getting knocked to the muddy ground by Itachi who was now blocking all of Kiba's punches and attacks. Shaking, he got back to his feet and wiped a drop of blood away from his lip, sprinting back toward his fight, knowing the girl could take care of herself. She brought her hands to the gray haired man's, hoping that she might be able to pry his fingers from her bruising throat. When her spluttering coughs faded and she went limp under his grasp, he let go and caught her unconscious body as it tumbled toward the wet ground.

_I ran through the blinding blizzard, not caring which direction I was headed in, all I wanted was to get away from that place. I never wanted to see Ruben's face again. This is my fourth and last attempt to escape the castle that has held me prisoner for six long months. My fast breath could be seen in the severe cold, and I held my pregnant stomach lightly as I trudged through the wet snow, slowing from exhaustion. Hopefully the guards would not be able to follow me, for my footprints had already vanished. But the last thing I remember was the white flakes against my cheek and blackness all around me _

Itachi grabbed Kiba by the shoulder and struck him in the stomach with a blow that sent him hurtling into the trunk of a tree a few yards back, the blood dripping down his mouth and his figure doubled over.

"Hurry and finish off the other one, I've got the girl." Hidan said loudly through the rain. Naruto launched at the Uchiha, was knocked back by a sudden hit to the jaw. And before he could get up to continue the fight, they were gone.

"SAKURA!!!" the boy called into the storm, his body overcome with rage, the still pouring precipitation only barely cooling off his mood. Sasuke, Kakashi, and now Sakura; all of them had been taken from him.

_When I awoke, I was back in my quarters. The fire was crackling next to me, and my maid was ringing a wet cloth over the water bucket. She then placed it on my head, and it was warm. My eyes cracked open and I squinted against the dim light._

_"Oh, you're awake milady," she sounded relieved. I cleared my throat._

_"Who found me?" still I was hoarse. Celine was her name and she smiled warmly._

_"It was Sir Aaron," I was the only one who knew she fancied him. "But don't you worry, Ruben doesn't know what happened. We only told him you fainted while taking your usual walk," she giggled and I sighed, resting my head on the pillow and falling back into my slumber. _

The kunoichi moved her neck groggily, an uncomfortable stiffness in her muscles waking her from her unconsciousness. When she attempted to move her hands, the sound of rattling chains echoed in the cold cell. Dim silver moonlight fanned in through the tiny window on a high part of the wall, and water droplets plinked into the shallow pools that the leaks around the room had created. The floor was stone, and the grey rock radiated the cold air that had been left from the day's earlier storm, making goose bumps arise on her bare arms.

Using what was left of her strength, Sakura attempted to lift herself and look through the window that was in the opposite wall, but she found that there were chains around her ankles as well. They rattled and clinked endlessly as she tried over and over to break herself from the steel that held her prisoner. Finally, the kunoichi stopped, ending her pointless efforts at freedom.

The sound of footsteps startled her, and her head shot up to look at the cell door, which was also steel. It had a small opening in the bottom for use of passing trays of food in and out without opening the door. Though to her surprise, they walked right on in, but it wasn't like she would be able to escape anyway.

The kunoichi could tell it was a male, but he was in the shadows in the small room, so she couldn't tell who exactly it was, at least, not until he spoke.

"So the rumors were true;" Itachi explained. "Tsunade has trained you well. _You _will bear my child."


End file.
